When Tucker Duke's Lunchbox chef-owner Brian Cartenuto opened his first South Florida location at 32 he was already approaching a near 20-year career that had brought him from Anthony Bourdain's Brasserie Les Halles in Miami to the French bistro Lavandou in Washington, D.C. Now a two-time winner of Cutthroat Kitchen, the Florida native is best known for his family of burger-centric establishments, named for his Great Dane/lab mix. The original restaurant began as an eight-seat Southern-style lunch counter with an opening menu that offered a short list of blue-plate specials. But it was the burger that won him the most praise. Disgusted with the perpetual line at a nearby McDonald's drive-through, one day Cartenuto decided to put his own on the menu, everything he thought a Big Mac should be. He designed one ascribing to the same tenets his menu reflects, with a focus on only local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients. Within a week, it had earned him a cultish following, people waiting five-deep for the signature Tucker Duke. Today, Cartenuto's master creation remains the same: a half-pound beef patty arranged in a multilayered Jenga pile of fried onion rings, melted American cheese, mixed baby greens, and celery-salted tomato layered between a toasted, onion-encrusted bun. Pink Tucker sauce -- Cartenuto's insanely addictive version of a Louisiana remoulade, AKA Comeback dressing -- is the glue that attempts to hold it all together. If you order it, remember the house rules: you can't change the Tucker Duke. According to Cartenuto, it's as close to burger perfection as you'll get -- and we'll venture to say you haven't truly lived until you've had one.

Related Stories (8)

Tap 42 (1411 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale, and 5050 Town Center Circle #247, Boca Raton) is offering its Prohibition Burger for a measly five bones. The craft-beer haven's creation is made with a special burger blend, applewood ...

We could all use a little more burger and beer in our lives, especially up in Palm Beach County. Luckily, Tucker Duke's Lunchbox is coming to the rescue when the restaurant's second location opens in Boca Raton later this month. Las...

You love burgers. You love burgers so much, every few years New Times publishes a list of the best ones, most outrageous ones, and — like this list — the best restaurants that specialize in them. The rest of the year is then spent o...

Look, living in a tourist mecca has its upsides and its downsides: lots of awesome restaurants and stuff to do; lots of tourists and snowbirds causing long lines and driving up prices. What's a local to do? Check-in. A lot. Th...